SCRIPTURE:
"She will give birth to a son and you are to
give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21, NIV)

APPROACH QUESTION:
What do you need Jesus to do for you?

OBSERVATIONS:I asked myself what 3 things does
the Angel of the Lord tell Joseph?

1. She [Mary] will give birth to a son.
2. You are to give Him the name Jesus.
3. He will save His people from their
sins.

INTERPRETATIONS:I asked myself why is it significant
that the Angel of the Lord says 'She
will give birth to a son.'?
1. The Angel of the Lord is assuring Joseph in his pain, confusion,
and despair that the Holy Spirit who began the work in Mary with the
miraculous conception while she is still a virgin will take care of
everything from conception to birth. This is evidenced by the
promise 'She will give birth to a son.'

I asked myself why is it significant that the
Angel of the Lord says, 'You are to give
Him the name Jesus?'
The Angel of the Lord not only wants Joseph to take Mary home as his
wife but when the son is born, Joseph should be responsible to take
care of the son with the most important task of giving the son a
name but specifically the name chosen by the Angel of the Lord :
JESUS.

I asked myself why did the Angel of the Lord
want Joseph to name Him Jesus of all names and it's significance.?
Then, I was reminded of what Jesus means. Jesus is the Greek form of
Joshua, which means 'The Lord saves'. By asking Joseph to name Jesus
with a Greek name is foreshadowing that Jesus will be the Hope of
all nations. Greeks are considered Gentiles so Jesus will be the
Savior of all including Gentiles like me, my darling wife
Chandraleela, etc. They will all become
His people when they accept what Jesus wants to do for them. However
Jesus will not be limited to saving Gentiles alone for His desire
and hope is to save all the Jews too. At the Name of Jesus, Jews and
Gentiles will be saved when they turn to Him.

IMPLICATIONS:I asked myself what are the implications for my
own life?
I learned there is a lot of significance to the Name of Jesus. It is
Jesus who wants to be Lord of my life and save me for Jesus means
Joshua which means 'Lord saves'. Also, I should not take any name
lightly whether calling people by name or when called by name.
What is awesome is that Jesus calls me by name and I belong to Him.
I am precious and special in the Lord's sight. You too are precious
in the Lord's sight. The Name of Jesus should be shown so much
reverence in my life. I love you Jesus.

I ask you now dear friend, what significance do
you give a N.A.M.E in life?
Dear friend, a name has a lot of meaning behind it and when we
discover that it can also change our life especially when we
discover the Name of Jesus, there is ultimate protection from the
evil one. For the Name of Jesus has power to save you and me from
sin. Also a name helps us give meaning to experiences, make people
valued, etc.

Years ago, I remember when I called a student by name she was so
happy that she came to me and said, 'You remembered my name'. When I
served the Pennsylvania Governor School of
International Studies (PGSIS) students from 2000 - 2008, I
wanted every student to feel special and remembered all 100+ names
each year and called them by name to make them feel loved and
valued. I also would share with them poems that I shared the love of
Jesus for them because I knew the Name of Jesus is a Name that saves
all.

In Sept 2012, after our first child was born, we prayed and searched for a name to
give her. When my mom told me that my youngest brother
Rohit will call his neice Esther
regardless of what name we gave her, I mentioned that to my sweet
wife. She told me that she liked the name and we should name her
Esther as her brother-in-law wanted. I wanted a Bible name and when
the Bible verse, "For you were born for such a
time as this' came to my mind, I knew
Esther would be the name of our daughter because that is how
we felt about our daughter for she was born for such a time as this.
Other than my mom, we all grew up with only males in our family: 4
brothers including myself and my beloved dad. It was wonderful to
have a precious daughter for her uncles and also for me. Of course,
whoever the Lord gave would have been a blessing. My mommy also
liked the name and since the Bible verse was from the Book of
Esther, we named her Esther. Esther is a beautiful 5 year old
daughter now by God's
grace.

A name does have significance friend. Friend, the Lord Jesus loves
you so much and has called you by name. You are precious and special
in the Lord's sight and when you come to Him, He will write your
name in the Book of Life. He also has His own name for you that He
will reveal in His timing. Praise the Lord. So friend, come to Jesus
as you are and never be upset about your name for your name is very
special. You have a identity and purpose in life. This Christmas
season know that you are loved and cherished. You are never out of
His love and never out of His reach.

May you come to know the Name of Jesus and His power to save you!
Amen!

"Nurturingly Always Messiah Emancipates!"(N.A.M.E.)/"What
significance do you give a N.A.M.E in life?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much for being my Lord and Personal
Savior. Thank you Lord you came into this world to save. We are
saved by you when we turn to you. Thank you so much Lord that I
learned about the significance of a name especially your Name and
the power behind it. Your Name has the power to change lives. Thank
you that we are loved and special in your sight. Thank you that you
call us by Name. Help us Oh Lord for the glory and honor of your
Name. Deliver us and save us. Thank you so much Jesus! In Your Name
I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Lord Jesus,You are my all in all. You are my Prince of Peace,
Rock, Savior, and Friend. You are my Holy Father guiding me through to live a
life of righteousness, holy righteousness. Oh God, I need you more than ever. I
need to feel your hands around me holding me tight. I need your love to surround
me so that you can glow in my life. Help me please Jesus. I desire in your
presence. Thank you for guiding me to live a life of righteousness. Oh God you
love me more than ever. You hear my voice when I cry out to you. When I seek
your face, you fill me up. You are my all in all. Thank you Jesus so much for
your help no matter what I face, your grace is available and you take my case.
Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN!
(Most of the prayer is from a vineyard song called “All in All”)

If you would like to
invite Jesus Christ into your heart and make Him a daily part of your
life, you can this very moment. You will never be alone. You can claim
God's promises for you in the Bible and see them come true, before your
eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to wait for a special time
to come to the Lord. You can come right now as you pray the prayer
below, meaning it in your heart.

Prayer:
God I am a sinner. I am invaded by this deadliest virus. Many times I
feel so guilty and yucky inside. I need forgiveness. I am so sorry for
my sins. I have not obeyed you with my whole heart! I have gone my own
way and done my own things. I struggle with sin. I need you Jesus
in my life so I can receive forgiveness and a new beginning. In the
process, I can forgive others as you help me to. Thank you so much
Jesus. I accept the antidote you have sent me. I believe Jesus you died
for me and your cleansing blood will cleanse me from all my sins. You
came back to life to save me. Thank you God I am set free, free from the
bondage of sin. Hear my cry Oh Lord. I accept you Jesus into my heart. I
make you my Lord and Personal Savior of my life. Thank you Father God
for giving me Salvation. Thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and
making my heart your home. Thank you for living in me Jesus and I will
live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. Thank you
for being my Lord and personal Savior! I can live a life of peace with
you on my side. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me!
In your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN!

No matter what you feel in your heart, know that Jesus has come
in and resides with you! You are not alone! To make your walk strong
with the Lord, spend time in prayer talking to Him as you would to a
friend. You don’t need special words to talk to the Lord. Spend time in
His Word reading Psalms and turning them into prayer. Next allow God to
heal you and speak to you through the Gospel of John or Gospel of Mark
before moving on to other Books of the Bible! Slowly, let the Lord show
you to which Scriptures He wants you to go to next. It is also important
to be part of a body of believers to help you grow in the faith. Find a
Bible believing church that preaches the Word of God from Genesis to
Revelation proclaiming Jesus Christ our crucified and risen Lord who
brings us hope, healing, and help!

No matter who you are, it is not ever too
late to join a Bible-believing church or a college fellowship. I highly
encourage each of you to come to Transformers Small Group on Friday
nights at 7:00 p.m. and Oakland International Fellowship on Sunday
mornings at 9:30 a.m. for prayer, 11:30 a.m. for worship, 10:30 a.m. for
Sunday School, and 12:30 p.m. for fellowship lunch.

May the Lord's presence and peace fill you
with His love now and forever! Amen!

Friend, if you have prayed this prayer and meant it in your heart, you
are a new creation in Christ and all old things are passed away and
everything has become new! You may feel something or may not but don’t
base it on feelings but base your new life in Christ on the promises of
our Savior who will never leave you nor forsake you! Amen!

Feel free to email me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.comif you want to meet
to study the Bible, pray with, talk about Spiritual issues or whatever
is on your mind! My number is 412-641-9426

"This is my work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty
energy is at work within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)